Absorbent articles intended for taking up body fluids are constant targets for improvement, particularly with respect to leakage protection. A problem particularly associated with absorbent articles intended for incontinent adults is that of leakage due to the fact that large amounts of liquid are eliminated during a short period of time. In this connection, it may happen that not all the liquid has time to penetrate into the absorbent article, and instead some of the liquid flows out across the surface of the article and gives rise to leakage. In the context of diapers too, leakage can occur on account of the fact that a large amount of liquid impacts the article in a short time. A particular concern in connection with diapers for infants is the leakage of excrement. Since infants often have very free-flowing stools, these occur as a liquid and can easily run out over the edge of the diaper. Such leakage of excrement is particularly unpleasant, and the stains which occur on the soiled clothes and bedlinen are very difficult to wash off.
A liquid-absorbing article such as a diaper or incontinence protector is usually provided with elastic members. These elastic members have two main functions. On the one hand, they are used to shape the absorbent article in order to maintain a good fit of the article to the shape of the user's body, and, on the other hand, they are used to create different types of leakage protectors. For example, most diapers are provided with elastic members along the side edges, as a result of which elastic, sealing and leakage-tight leg bands are obtained once the diaper is placed on the user's body. It is also possible to create liquid-collecting depressions, pockets and raised barriers by arranging elastic members on an absorbent article.
It has also been proposed to provide absorbent articles with other types of barriers which are raised from the surface of the article and which prevent uncontrolled flow of liquid across the surface. Examples of non-elastic barriers are material folds and corrugations, built-up banks or the like. In addition to guiding and controlling the flow of liquid on the surface of an absorbent article, such raised leakage barriers can also be arranged along the side edges of the article in order to prevent liquid from leaking out of the article.
Patent Specification SE-C2 502 818 describes a liquid-absorbing article intended for single use, such as a diaper, a sanitary towel or the like. The article described has an essentially elongate shape and comprises an absorbent body and a cover enclosing the absorbent body, with a liquid-permeable inner sheet and an outer sheet. The article further comprises contracting elastic members connected to at least one sheet.
A further problem which arises when using absorbent articles is that the body fluids taken up by the article come into contact with the user's skin and can thus give rise to skin irritation. If the absorbent article contains excrement, it may also be desirable to keep the excrement at a distance from the user's body, since this considerably facilitates cleaning of the user's pubic area when the article is to be changed.
Patent Specification WO 95/10993 discloses a disposable diaper with improved ability to keep bodily excretions away from the user's skin, which diaper comprises a sheet which protects the underwear, a liquid-permeable surface material, an absorbent element placed between the protective sheet and the surface material, and a liquid-tight nonwoven covering which has an opening in the crotch area, and with edge portions around the opening in the liquid-tight nonwoven covering forming sealing flaps around the opening.
For the diaper to be able to absorb bodily excretions more quickly and to be able to retain these in a more effective manner, WO 95/10993 proposes that the absorbent element has an absorbent sheet on which a spreading sheet is arranged and that the dimensions of the opening in the nonwoven covering are smaller in the longitudinal and transverse directions than the corresponding dimensions of the spreading sheet. The disposable diaper described in WO 95/10993 is said to comprise elastic means at the edges of the opening in the nonwoven covering and along the longitudinal outer edges of the diaper.
However, despite all efforts to prevent leakage when using absorbent articles, it still happens that liquid leaks out from the articles, principally at their end edges. Thus, there is still a great need for further improved leakage protection.